When our fallen flesh thinks of prayer, it merely sees it as a means to an end—a way to get what you want! And such sinful thinking is also rampant in the Church. After all, every member of Christ’s Church in the world is not just a saint, but also a full-fledged sinner. Haven’t you […]
Isaiah 12:1-6: Jesus is Our Salvation
May 3, 2015 by
The Old Testament isn’t easy to read. It has so much killing in it, people rebelling against God, and more history than most of us can handle. It’s also hard to understand. But don’t let that keep you from the Old Testament. If you have the patience to take in what God has for you, […]
Lamentations 3:22-33: Depression
April 26, 2015 by
Depression is a vexing condition. It’s part of that huge array of problems that have afflicted us since our first parents fell into sin. Depression is the result of a sin-corrupted body, a defect in how our brains work, just like the fall into sin also affects how our hearts, livers, and stomachs perform. But […]
1 John 5:4-10: The Spirit, the Water, and the Blood Still Testify to Us Today
April 12, 2015 by
In the accounts of Jesus’ crucifixion, we find that each Gospel writer mentions different facts about what took place on the cross. Here’s how St. Mark describes Jesus’ death: “Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed His last” (Mark 15:37). But John and Matthew want you to know that Jesus “gave up His Spirit” […]
John 20:1-18: Christ is Risen!
April 5, 2015 by
Christos Anesti! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia! Our Gospel reading for today follows the story of Mary Magdalene, Mary from the town of Magdala. The Apostle John only mentions that Mary as she approached the tomb of Christ. The other Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, clearly tell us that other women were […]
Good Friday Sermon: It All Came Down to This
April 3, 2015 by
Comparing the Old Covenant with the New, the book of Hebrews tells us: Unlike the [Jewish] high priests, Jesus doesn’t need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his sins, and then for the sins of the people. No, he did this, once for all, when he sacrificed himself. [Hebrews 7:27] It all came […]
John 6:51-58: Unless…
April 2, 2015 by
According to legend, in a time of starvation, a mother pelican may dig into the side of her chest until it bleeds to feed her chicks. And so starting from the 2nd century, the Church has adopted the pelican as a symbol for Christ. The pelican represents Christ on the cross because, like a pelican, […]
John 12:12-19, 1 Maccabees 13:43-48, 51-52, Zechariah 9:9-12: The Jesus You Need
March 31, 2015 by
Lent began with Jesus fasting. Immediately after He was baptized, the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness to face down the devil. During those 40 days, Jesus chose not to eat food, spending time in prayer and meditation, battling against the tempter. Now those 40 days of temptation, of Lent, draw near to their […]
Isaiah 53:7-9: Where’s the Justice?
March 25, 2015 by
“Where’s the justice?” People have felt so slighted so often that we even have an experssion that has become part of our language: “Where’s the justice?” Part of it is true: we do live in a world where justice is, at best, imperfect. At worst, the “system” that’s supposed ensure justice even becomes the perpetrator […]
John 8:42-49: For you and because of you
March 25, 2015 by
For you—two words of supreme significance! Without them, a Christian veers away from Word and Sacrament, trying to find some assurance that he really is saved. He could look to his good works, thinking he must be saved because of what he has done. He could look to his emotions, trying to find in his […]
